1. Technical Field
The present invention pertains to weighted apparel for use in exercise and therapeutic applications. Although the preferred embodiment described herein is a weighted vest, it is to be understood that the principles of the invention apply to weighted garments of all types such as belts, pants, jackets, etc.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
It is known to provide vests with the capability of selectively receiving and supporting plural weights to permit the wearer to exercise and/or rehabilitate various muscles. Examples of such vests maybe found in the following U.S. Patents:
A desirable feature of weighted vests is adjustability of the total weight supported by the vest so that exercise and rehabilitation can be continued as the wearer""s muscles are progressively strengthened. It is known, for example, to provide pockets in a vest with one or more compartments of the pocket adapted to receive steel bars or other weighted material. Prior art vests of this type suffer from a number of problems and disadvantages that are addressed by the present invention. For example, designers of these vests have heretofore given little or no consideration to the relationship between the vest construction and potential unintended injury to the wearer. In this regard, weight receiving pockets are often placed adjacent portions of the wearer""s body that are vulnerable to injury. Particularly vulnerable are areas of the chest adjacent the heart and lungs, the shoulder plexus area where nerve endings that affect hand motion are close to the skin, the spine area which has no fleshy cushioning to protect the spinal column, etc. In addition, shoulder joints per se must be protected as must the wearer""s groin region. Further, even relatively non-vulnerable body parts must be protected against impact as the weights move relative to the wearer""s body during exercise routines.
Apart from protecting the wearer, a weighted vest must be comfortable and non-restricting during workouts. The vest must hold the weights securely while permitting weights to be added and removed with relative ease and simplicity.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an adjustably weighted vest constructed to minimize injury to the wearer while facilitating the removal and insertion of weights.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a unique weight-receiving module for attachment in a pocket in an adjustably weighted vest in a manner to substantially eliminate injury to the wearer of the vest during exercise.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved method of protecting the wearer of an adjustably weighted vest against injury during use of the vest in exercise routines.
The aforesaid objects maybe achieved individually and in combination, and it is not intended that the present invention be construed as requiring two or more of the objects to be combined unless expressly required by the claims attached hereto.
A vest constructed according to the present invention includes at least one layer of resilient plastic foam sandwiched between and bonded to inner and outer heavy denier fabric layers. A module for receiving a plurality of weights comprises a layer of resilient plastic foam sandwiched between and bonded to two layers of similarly heavy denier fabric material. The material in each case is preferably nylon. The interiorly facing fabric layer of the module is sewn or otherwise secured to the outer fabric layer of the vest inside a vest pocket. A further fabric sheet is sewn or otherwise secured to the exteriorly facing fabric layer of the module in a manner to form a plurality of side-by-side pouches that are open at their tops to receive elongated weight bars. The weight bars are thus separated from the wearer""s body by at least two layers of protective foam (i.e., the vest foam layer and the module foam layer). A flap from the vest pocket covers the pocket opening and the opening in the pouches to prevent inadvertent removal of the weights from the pouches.
The weight bars are elongated solid members having a transverse cross section in the form of a slightly truncated circle. The flat truncated surface of the bar faces inwardly toward the foam to distribute any force exerted by the weight over that surface and thereby minimize the pressure against the body of the wearer.
To further protect the wearer, the shoulder region of the vest is provided with two layers of foam padding. Similar double foam layering is provided along the bottom of the vest which is suspended near the wearer""s groin.
The vest pockets into which the weight-receiving modules are sewn are all located on the vest exterior at positions away from the wearer""s spine area, shoulders and upper torso. The vest interior surface is smooth and substantially uninterrupted fabric (e.g., heavy denier nylon). The vest pocket flaps are secured closed over the pocket weights by Velcro, or the like, to prevent the weights from inadvertently falling out of pockets during exercise. On the other hand, the weights are easily accessible to be selectively removed from or inserted into the module pouches without requiring removal of the vest from the wearer""s body.
The sleeve opening in the vest is large so that a single size fits all wearers, and the vest is constructed to be gender non-specific.